Hutch heads to South America for the a blast of the new Höwler Album….

Album number four for Costa Rica’s Höwler, a band about who I’ve no prior knowledge. With their most recent release No More Circus! released in 2020, it’s evident that the band are keen to make up for lost time as they bring their latest release with a pace that at times crosses into speed metal. 

Coming at this blind, it’s an interesting style that Höwler present. There are ample heads down thrash opportunities, but there’s also ample variation. Supernova sees the band channel elements of Testament’s intro to Eerie Inhabitants, whilst the stomp of Anthems to Warfare slips towards power metal before clawing it back into a full-on rager. 

What’s most interesting about this album is that I expected a much more South American feel, and it doesn’t have that. There’s much more European and Germanic feel to the band’s style. Think elements of Destruction and Tankard rather than the dirty experience of Sodom. There are inevitably links to the Bay Area, such as Testament and Exodus. 

All this adds to an album that will be ideal for the thrash fan who wants something solid and established. There’s little new on this release, but they stick to the thrash blueprint, and they do it well. Cycle of Violence draws deep from Testament, but the quintet give it everything from start to finish. New drummer Leyner Mora is particularly impressive on his debut performance. 

So, plenty to get the teeth into with Panzer 666 and In Human Race particularly pleasing with ample thrash teeth. It’s a reliable thrash album that is certainly worth spending three quarters of an hour getting involved with.

Höwler – Descendants of Evil is out today in Europe via CDN records find out more HERE